“I’m pretty sure you made all Harper’s dreams come true,” I say, wondering how Jase is going to explain that none of them can actually share any of the pictures or stories from today.
“Probably.” He smirks, slow and teasing. “I’ll make all of yours come true tonight.”
Swallowing hard, I am suddenly aware of just how tight these pants are and how long the walk back to my office will be. “Can’t wait.”
???
“She really asked him that? She askedLalothat?” Grace howls when I nod. “I wish I could have met these girls. They sound exactly like my kind of people!”
I snort, because she’s right. “I fear that you would have gotten along entirelytoowell.”
Grace is about to say something else when she stops, mouth half-open around a word she doesn’t have a chance to get out, because somehow Chaeji is marching into our happy little space and changing the vibe rather quickly.
“We need to talk,” she says, breezing past me into my office, her hair and dress ruffling behind her.
“Okay…” I exchange a glance with Grace, who looks about ready to jump out of her seat and press her ear to the glass to eavesdrop on our conversation, as if I won’t be telling her everything as soon as it’s over. I close the door behind me and lean against the bookshelf. “What’s going on, Chaeji?”
“We’re breaking up,” she announces, which is about the last thing I would have expected her to say.
I’m sure the surprise is all over my face. “Oh? You’re suddenly done with me? Don’t get me wrong—I’m very fine with this—but it is a bit out of nowhere.”
She straightens the lines of her skirt, like she thinks someone might be watching. Knowing her, maybe they are. “We’re breaking up tonight. I just found out I’ve got an audition forthe leadin a new drama, but they don’t want me in a public relationship. I guess the character is very pure or something?”
The irony of this scenario is hysterical to me, but I simply say, “Great. Happy for you.”
“I know this isn’t what we talked about, but maybe this is better for you, too. I promise I won’t bother you anymore after this,” she tells me, with an expression thatseemsearnest, though I hate that I still can’t tell if she’s acting or not.
I nod in acknowledgement, then set a reminder in my phone for when and where we’re going to meet later tonight. Apparently I have to tell Sun he’ll be making my dreams come true later than anticipated. “I’ll see you there.”
Chaeji gives me a smile that looks a little bit more authentic than the ones I’ve seen before. “Be prepared to look sad,” she tells me, then turns on her heel and walks back out of my office like the whirlwind that she is.
Grace leaps up the second she’s out of earshot. “Tell me everything.”
“Looks like I only have a boyfriend now, because my ‘girlfriend’ is breaking up with me,” I say, grinning at her.
She throws her hands up in the air and mouths something at the ceiling, then runs off.
Just as I’m blinking in confusion, she comes back with her stack of magazines under one arm, holding the shredder with the other. She all but shoves me out of the way to get to the outlet, plugging the machine in and flipping the switch to turnit on. Holding up an issue with a particularly large picture of Chaeji and I on the front cover with something about our plans for the future, Grace says, “I have been waiting for this. But I’m going to let you do the first one in celebration of your freedom.”
I take the magazine when she holds it out to me and push it down into the waiting metal teeth, taking a perverse sort of happiness in watching the picture get torn apart. It doesn’t even feel like I’m watching it happen to my own face; I don’t know that guy on the cover anyway.
The public version of me that’s been paraded around these last few months goes into retirement tonight. He’s done.
The real Kim Kija just wants to go home to his boyfriend.
??
LUX
“Sachi? I’m home,” Kija calls, even though he’s looking right at me.
I climb off the couch, kicking off the blanket I’d had covering my legs while I was reading and toss my book aside. As I move, I can see his eyes immediately focus on my bare thighs, the hem of the light blue sweater that I borrowed from his closet brushing just low enough to cover everything else I’mnotwearing. “You look happy,” I remark as I step into his open arms.
“I am,” he says, kissing me soft and sweet. “I got to come home to you.” Another kiss, a little harder, sends a tingle down my spine. “And even better, no more Chaeji. I’m done with her.”
“What?” I yelp, temporarily distracted from the way his fingers are gripping my hips by the best news I could have hoped to hear tonight. I knew their agreed-upon number of dates was shrinking, but this is unexpected. “It’s over? For real? She’s out of your life?”
“Out ofourlives,” he corrects, hands sliding around to cup my ass, and I’m rewarded with a gasp of surprise when he realizes the shirt is the only thing I’ve got on. “Sun…”
